1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to modular storage and display racks, in particular, molded plastic modular storage and display racks for cylindrical items, like water bottles. In particular, the present invention is directed to an improved shelf structure for such modular storage and display racks.
2. The Prior Art
Modular storage and display racks are known in the art. A typical modular storage and display rack in the prior art includes one or more molded plastic shelves. Each shelf is provided typically with at least a plurality of sockets on its underside, for insertably receiving a corresponding plurality of post members, to provide legs for the shelf. The legs may be tubular plastic members, which may be solid, hollow, open-ended or closed-ended. For example, the legs typically may be hollow, cylindrical, open-ended members, configured to fit into corresponding cylindrical sockets.
The sockets, in turn, may have cylindrical side walls, and may further include centrally disposed truncated frusto-conical structures, so that the side walls of the leg ends become wedged frictionally between the cylindrical side walls of the sockets and the centrally disposed truncated frusto-conical structures. Alternatively, the sockets may have cylindrical side walls with inner diameters which are closely fitted to the outer diameters of the corresponding leg ends, for producing the desired friction fit, so that the leg ends are releasably retained in their corresponding sockets. As a still further alternative, the sockets may be provided with a slight conicity, for producing the desired friction fit, while facilitating insertion of the leg ends into the socket openings.
In order to enable a rack to be constructed from a plurality of stacked identical shelves, each such shelf is typically also provided with a plurality of corresponding sockets on its upper side, typically positioned directly above and concentrically aligned with the sockets on the underside of the shelf.